Modesto Junior College Dance heading to prestigious dance mecca

Author:
Kurt Rivera

Published:
6:10 AM PDT June 20, 2017

Updated:
6:10 AM PDT June 20, 2017

It's poetry in their feet, their eyes and their movements.

13 Modesto Junior College dancers and their choreography and dance instructor Kim T. Davis are just one of five finalists taking part in the American College Dance Association Performance highlights program.

The venue is the iconic Jacob's Pillow in Becket, Massachusetts.

Competition began in May against hundreds of colleges across the country.

Modesto is one of just two junior colleges selected.

"This is an incredible opportunity. This is a dancer's dream, a bucket list you might say. I've always wanted to go. It's one of the places I haven't visited as a young dancer trainee," says Kim T. Davis, Modesto Junior College dance instructor.

The 10-and-a-half minute piece is entitled “Vanishing at the Water’s Edge."

It's vision is Davis’ own.

"So it's a landscape vision that starts off and then I navigate the dancers through the space," says Davis.

Set to two pieces of music, it's dedicated to refugees and their struggles around the world.

"For me, being that character, I'm more of that character that is witnessing what is going on," says dancer Jessica Espinoza.

23-year-old Tabatha Stewart has been dancing since she was 7.

"This piece gives us the opportunity to not just dance, but to tell a story about something that's very heavy on all of our hearts," says Stewart.

Dancer Franky Yangat tries to envision refugees he’s seen in a picture to bring to life in his moves.

"These families on the ocean, coming out of a boat. That's what I'm envisioning," says Yangat, a dancer for 15 years.

The price tag to bring the dancers to the August 24 performance on the East Coast is $15,000.

The dancers are trying to raise the money themselves for the experience of a lifetime.

"I want the dancers to have this experience. I think it will transform their lives," says Davis.